Binghamton University students who want to gamble in a casino would usually need to travel to Turning Stone Casino in Verona or places farther away.
But for one night every spring semester, gambling is legal on campus at College-in-the-Woods’ Casino-in-the-Woods event.
Casino-in-the-Woods, now in its 34th year, will be held from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturday, March 12 in the CIW Dining Hall. The dining hall will close for the whole day and possibly the day before as well, according to Mark Soriano, president of CIW community and a sophomore majoring in history. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Discovery Center of the Southern Tier, which describes itself as a hands-on museum for children. CIW chooses a different local charity every year.
Soriano has overseen planning for the event along with casino co-chairs Will Lauffer and Mike Cartusciello, who helped choose this year’s theme of “CaSEAno-in-the-Woods,” which will put an emphasis on sea life and treasure hunts.
Soriano said he wanted to dispel the myth that CIW is allowed to operate a casino because the community is built on Iroquois territory where gambling is legal.
“CIW’s casino is, for a few hours, an actual New York State licensed casino,” Soriano said. He also said the process involves lots of paperwork and anyone in the state could technically open his/her own temporary casino as long as it adheres to the NYS licensing restrictions.
Matt DeSaro, a graduate student in public administration, organized the event in 2008 and 2009 and said he felt the documentation required by the New York State Wagering Board and Broome County Clerk was the most difficult part of planning the event.
“There are lots of dates to remember and checks to process from certain accounts,” DeSaro said.
He also recalled that choosing a charity to have Casino-in-the-Woods support out of Broome County’s 600-plus nonprofit organizations was tough.
“When the casino first started, it was just a fun event. People got dressed up: tuxedos and dresses, the whole shebang,” he said. “I don’t know when exactly it became for charity, but we do try to keep it [the nonprofit] somehow connected to the University.”
For students unfamiliar with the event, Casino-in-the-Woods could be a shock to experience. Saleena Sherpalama, a junior majoring in English, came upon last year’s casino by accident when meeting a friend.
“I went to Turning Stone once, which was obviously nicer than CIW, but CIW was still really nice, way better than I ever would’ve expected,” Sherpalama said.
Mark Dello Stritto, a senior double-majoring in physics and math, said he enjoyed last year’s casino even though he lost money.
“I didn’t expect a full casino. I was looking for more table games like blackjack, but it was still a lot of fun. Plus, they needed to make money for the charity,” Stritto said.
According to Soriano, games will include blackjack, roulette, joker seven, beat the dealer and money wheel. Entrance is $3 and game chips cost $1 each to play at any of 36 tables. He said all dealers, whether they are resident assistants, members of CIW hall governments or volunteer community members, must undergo formal training before the event.
Soriano believed the event will be secure enough to handle the significantly large cash flow throughout the night.
“Security is handled by UPD, an officer from which will be present near the chip room for the entire event,” he said.
DeSaro recalled the largest amount he has seen someone spend at Casino-in-the-Woods to be $500, by a former event chairman who worked in the Binghamton area after graduation.
“Since Casino is not a ResLife [Residential Life] event and 100 percent run by CIW Council, he probably just wanted to give back to the community,” he said. “He actually ended up winning back all $500 at one point, the highest amount you can win, but then spent it again at other games.”
DeSaro said the charity is now the heart of Casino-in-the-Woods.